Print-developing tray



0. N. HOGUE PRINT DEVELOPING TRAY Nov. 30 1926.

Filed March 23. 1925 Patented Nov. 30, 1926.

UNITED STATES ODIE NOLLIS HOGUE, OF LITTLE ROCK, ARKANSAS.

PRINT-DEVELOPING TRAY.

Application filed March 23, 1925. Serial No. 17,754.

This invention relates to trays such as used by photographers indeveloping prints.

In developing photographic prints, it is usually necessary that fromeighteen to twenty sheets of paper be placed in the tray holding thedeveloping solution, and these papers are handled at one time and remainin the developer from one to four minutes and while therein must be keptseparated. This is commonly done by more or less continuously pullingout the bottom print from beneath the pile of wet sheets and placingthis print on top. The constant rubbing of the nails of the fingersagainst the bottom of the tray tends towear out the finger nails orrequire the finger nails to be covered, and in either case the result isthe same, a print gets on the flat bottom of the tray and cannot bepicked up in time to save it from over-development and loss.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a tray whichis grooved in such a manner as to permit the fingers to be slipped underthe lower print with speed and certainty.

A further object is to provide a tray in which the rim of the tray is soturned or extended outward and then curved inward adjacent the top thatas the tray is tilted back and forth to cause the solution to sweep overthe prints there will be no tendency of the solution to slop over thetray.

A still further object is to provide means whereby the tray may bereadily emptied of its contents without losing any of the solution.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein Figure1 is a vertical sectional view of a print developing tray constructed inaccordance with my invention;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the tray shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view on the line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Referring to this drawing, it will be seen that my improved tray has abottom 10 and the side walls 11 and that in one of the side walls thereis formed an opening 12 having an outwardly extending, relatively shortbut relatively large spout 13 which is intended to be closed by a rubberstopper 1% removable from the inside of the tray.

The sides of the tray extend upward and outward, as at 15, nearly to therim of the tray and then extend upward and inward in a curve, as'at16,the upper edge or rim of each side wall being approximately in line withthe line of junction between the bottom of the tray and thecorresponding side wall. The bottom 10 of the tray is formed atintervals with relatively deep and relatively wide grooves 17. Thesegrooves are preferably about three-quarters of an inch deep andseven-eighths of an inch wide, thus being of sufficient depth andsufiicient width to permit the fingers to be inserted within the groovesto the second joint.

This tray is intended for use for developing prints and while it may beused for developing plates and celluloid negatives, it is primarilyintended for prints which are particularly flexible after having beensoaked in the solution. A plate, being a rigid object, may be pushedagainst one end of the tray and a small groove which will merelyaccommodate the finger tips will permit the plate to be lifted upbecause of the rigidity of the plate, but the small grooves which willnot accommodate the fingers are not capable of use in removing a print,as in order to remove a print the fingers must be slipped under theprint to the second joint, the thumb placed on top of the print holdingit against the finger B and thus the print is pulled through andgradually out of the solution. To attempt to raise the print verticallywill tend to break the print and ruin it. The grooves or channels 17 inthe bottom of my tray extend preferably the entire length of the tray inany direction and, as before remarked, are of such width and such depthas to permit the ready insertion of the fingers beneath the prints.These grooves 17 are placed just close enough to each other so that thesmallest print placed in the tray will lie across one groove.

In developing prints, any desired number are placed in the solution,then they must be kept separated to insure even development, handled sonot to break the backing, and watched and removed at the right time,this being highly important, since it is the goal for which thephotographer is working. This tray is designed to be particularlyadvantageous in the above operations. Not only is this tray particularlyadapted for developing prints but the tray would have advantageswhenever it was used in a dark room, particularly where negatives arebeing developed. A film mg ative may be scratched and damaged on eitherside and this is often done on the back by grit in the bottom of thetray and over Which the film passes. These grooves Will allow this gritas Well as chemical sediments to settle out of the Way. It Will beunderstood that While I have illustrated these grooves as runningparallel to one side Wall of the tray that they may run in any directionas, for instance, diagonally in some trays, from end to end in others,or crosswise. Preferably the spout is di.s' posed in the left handcorner of the tray so as to permit the ready pouring or the solution.

Under various conditions the trays. are rocked back and forth, and byforming the sides of the tray as Ihave illustrated in Figure 1, thereWill be no splashing oi the solution When the tray is rocked but thesolution Will strike the returned rim 16 or the tray and Will bedirected back into the solution and will not slop over. By pushinginward on the stopper 1st, complete control of the pouring may be hadWithout any loss of the solution, it being an easier matter to set thespout Within the mouth of the-bottle and then force in on the cork orstopper and permit the ,contents to run oft than Where the ordinary trayis provided With a pouring lip, and it is not easy when this tray isfull to pour off the solution Without loss.

I claim A developing tray for prints having a bottom formed Withtransversely extending channels extending entirely across the tray andhaving a width and depth greater than the Width and thickness of theaverage finger, the tray having upwardly and outwardly inclinedsideWalls and the upper margins of the side Walls being turned inward andupward and terminating approximately in the same plane as cent thecorner thereoi and adjacent the bottom having an outwardly extendingrelatively short spout, the spout being out Wardly and centrally taperedand having a stopper fitting Within the inner end of the ODIE N. HOGUE.

the lower edge I or the Wall, the side Wall of the tray ad ;a

